Our research is proceeding along several different lines. On the one hand, we are engaged in studies aimed at disclosing the nature of opiate mechanisms underlying endogenous systems of analgesia and that which can be demonstrated by focal electrical stimulation of certain brain stem areas in the rat. For example, we are currently investigating the analgesic effect of small injections of a neural excitant drug (glutamate) into the periaqueductal gray matter, an area of the brain known to possess opiate receptors, endogenous opioid peptides, and the ability to support stimulation-produced analgesia. On the other hand, we are also engaged in studies concerning the opiate character of certain seizure phenomena. For example, we have shown that the enkephalins possess powerful epileptic properties in the rat, and we are currently investigating the ability of the opiate antagonist naloxone to disrupt seizures. The multiple behavioral roles of endorphins and the possible functional interrelationships among the different brain regions mediating opiate effects are themes of considerable interest to our group.